John Robinson, former head coach of USC and Los Angeles Rams, died on Monday, both the university and the franchise confirmed.
Robinson died in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, due to complications from pneumonia. He was 89.
Robinson first took over at USC in 1976 after spending time as an assistant with the Trojans and at both Oregon and the Oakland Raiders. He spent a total of 12 years at the helm of USC, leading it to a national championship during the 1978 campaign. He compiled a record of 104-35-4 during his two stints leading the Trojans, making him the third winningest coach in program history. He led the team to five Pac-10 championships and also went a perfect 4-0 in the Rose Bowl. Two players, Charles White and Marcus Allen, won the Heisman Trophy under his watch.
Robinson left USC after the 1982 campaign to make the jump to the NFL, where he took over as head coach of the Los Angeles Rams from Ray Malavasi. He went 75-68 during his nine seasons with the Rams and reached the NFC championship game twice. He was fired after the 1991 campaign, which marked his second straight losing season.
His total of 79 wins with the organization were the most by a single head coach in team history until last month, when current head coach Sean McVay picked up his 80th career win.
After his second run at USC, from 1993-97, Robinson also served as head coach at UNLV from 1999-2004. He went 28-42 there and reached a single bowl game in his six seasons with the Rebels. He also worked briefly as the school’s athletic director.
After retiring as a coach, Robinson served as a national college football analyst, worked as a development officer for the USC athletic department and worked as a consultant to the LSU football team with former coach Ed Orgeron. He was also with the program when they won the national championship in the 2019 season.
Robinson was inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame and the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009.
“I enjoyed it,” Robinson told the Los Angeles Times earlier this year when asked how he wanted to be remembered. “And I think that’s the most important thing, that when you get a job, you enjoy it. You always think, ‘God, I could have done that better.’ But you know, you have to be happy with what you’ve done. I really enjoyed the players, and there were so many good ones.”
